The Duke

Genre: Comedy, Drama

Runtime: 95 mins

Rated: R

Release Date: 2022

Countries: United Kingdom

Languages: English

DIRECTED BY:

Roger Michell

WRITTEN BY:

Richard Bean, Clive Coleman

CAST INCLUDES:

Jim Broadbent, Fionn Whitehead, Simon Hubbard, Michael Mather, Helen Mirren

ANGELIKA’S NOTE

One of the most heartwarming movies of the year - and rated a near-perfect 97% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes - THE DUKE is a must-see. Jim Broadbent (MOULIN ROUGE!, ANOTHER YEAR) stars as a mid-century Robin Hood, Kempton Bunton, a 60 year old man who managed to steal and hold Goya's portrait of the Duke of Wellington from London's National Gallery for ransom, with only one request: the government must invest more into care for the elderly, based on the beautiful true story. Washington Post calls it: "A sweet package made sweeter by two of England’s finest actors."

SYNOPSIS

THE DUKE is set in 1961 when Kempton Bunton (Jim Broadbent), a 60-year old taxi driver, stole Goya’s portrait of the Duke of Wellington from the National Gallery in London. It was the first (and remains the only) theft in the Gallery’s history. Kempton sent ransom notes saying that he would return the painting on condition that the government agreed to provide television for free to the elderly. What happened next became the stuff of legend. Only 50 years later did the full story emerge – a startling revelation of how a good man set out to change the world and in so doing saved his son and his marriage.

The Duke

Genre: Comedy, Drama

Runtime: 95 mins

Rated: R

Release Date: 2022

Countries: United Kingdom

Languages: English

DIRECTED BY

Roger Michell

WRITTEN BY

Richard Bean, Clive Coleman

CAST INCLUDES

Jim Broadbent, Fionn Whitehead, Simon Hubbard, Michael Mather, Helen Mirren

ANGELIKA’S NOTE
SYNOPSIS

"A sweet package made sweeter by two of England’s finest actors."

Washington Post

"One of the pleasures -- even privileges -- of watching a film like this is seeing what superb actors are able to do with material that doesn’t aspire to greatness. The story is charming, the performances are exceptional."

Wall Street Journal

"Their touching chemistry does the trick, and Broadbent is darned near perfect as a man whose Robin Hood-like principles won out in the most unlikely of scenarios."

Associated Press